Riverside Live at Warsaw Juvenalia 23rd May 2014

Didn't have any intention of going to Warsaw Juvenalia until I discovered a few days before the event that Riverside would be on there on the first night (May 23rd).  Thus, this was a real nice surprise, as they're most probably my favourite Polish band (seen them twice before:  once at the Stodoła and once at the old Klub Progresja, both in Warsaw).

A few weeks ago, I had to go back to Britain to renew my passport in Liverpool, and ended up not being able to see Riverside at the new Klub Progresja.  Thus, seeing Riverside last night at the Juvenalia nicely made amends for this.

As expected, the band's 75-minute set was dominated by the 'Shrine of New Generation Slave' material which was perfectly fine by me, as it is a mightily fine album.  From this album, my favourite two tunes were the incredibly melodic 'Depth of Self-Delusion' and 'We Got Used To Us' (love the delicate build of melody in the latter).

Near the start of the set, I was down near the front of the stage, so I managed to get a few close-up shots of the band:

Maybe not the best shots in the world, but they'll do me.

Was also a nice evening as I met up with my friends Pierce and Dominik below:

Dominik (above) is enjoying the music, while (below) me and Pierce are 'posing' for a picture with the stage in the background (usually go to gigs on my own, so it was nice to meet up with friends at a gig for once).

Kilmore Cemetery, Whiddy Island

Couple of shots of Kilmore Cemetery on Whiddy Island here.  As you would  expect, the place is incredibly quite and still, somewhere where you can confront your deepest thoughts.

While up here, my good friend Dave Dealy told me that only people born and bred on Whiddy Island are allowed to be buried there.

The Perfect Place for Lovers (near Doneen Pier, County Cork)

While walking near Doneen Pier a couple of weeks ago, I came across this incredible room (part of an interesting house), and immediately thought that it would be the perfect place for lovers, as it took me back to some of the great DH Lawrence novels ('The Rainbow' and 'Women In Love' in particular).

Then, my guide, Dave Dealy sort of broke my enchantment, saying that it was more likely to be a holiday home for some Americans, as the latter have such things all over Southern Ireland. 

Arriving on Whiddy Island

After a short 15-minute ferry ride from Bantry, we arrived on Whiddy Island.  Been visiting the Bantry area for the past 3-4 years, but I'd never visited Whiddy Island, so I was curious to know what it was like.

Here, the small passenger ferry has just docked at Whiddy Pier, and a small group of people (including a mother and daughter out on a cycling trip) are quite excitedly stepping onto the island for a Sunday afternoon out (or returning from Mass on the mainland).

Innisfallen Island, County Kerry

In the picture below, the boatman is taking us out to Innisfallen Island, in the middle of the lake next to Ross Castle in county Kerry:

Rather than the monastery remains, it was the small church ruin (below)  that caught my eye on Innisfallen Island:

Still, Innisfallen Monastery has a particularly interesting history, as neatly summarised in the picture below:

But like I've said, it was the small church ruin that caught my interest, especially when spotting the small Celtic Cross inside:

The short summary further above describes this cross having been found in the lake, and my old friend Dave Dealy adds that it may've been thrown in with other valuable things during an actual Viking raid.

As you can see, it's customary to put money around and on the Cross and to make a wish or say a prayer. My prayer/wish was for God to really exist (I'm 50-50 on the, for me, unanswerable 'God Question', but like Pascal choose to believe in him just in case): 

In contrast, the monastery remains didn't really capture my attention, but I still had to get a shot of them all the same:

And rivalling the Celtic Cross for the highlight of the trip, well that would have to be being led a merry dance by the herd of deer (what I had to go through to get the shot below):

On the way back to the Ross Castle mainland, our amiable boatman told us that the deer regularly swam on and off the island.  .

Also passed the lone fisherman below (just passing his time away in splendid isolation) as we were making our way back to Ross Castle:

Yes, all in all, this was a very short but interesting adventure.

Ross Castle Getting Bathed in Gothic Semi-Darkness

Back with my recent trip to Ireland here, but this time we're in county Kerry rather than Cork. Was amazed how well the picture of Ross Castle (above) turned out, as it started to get bathed in some kind of Gothic semi-darkness. 

We had to go round the back of Ross Castle (below) to get to the small boat that would take us to Innisfallen Island in the middle of the lake.
 

Bury Walks: From the Police Station to the Burrs, the Scenic Route

I remember the old Bury police station being over near the Leisure Centre, but the 'new' one (in reality, built a good few years ago now) is located down near where Peel Mill once was.  Thus, I decided to take a walk from the 'new' police station to what is now grandly referred to as 'Burrs Country Park', and was pleasantly surprised with the scenic route that I found.

First, the river Irwell looks quite clean and has a few (what may've been previously hidden) small waterfalls down near the police station:

In the picture below of the horse grazing near the river, you can just about make out the 'new' police station in the background.  

 The bridge below is important as it takes you across the river and onto the road leading up to the Burrs:

While walking up the road towards the Burrs, I met this friendly cow which seemed perfectly at ease in the gentle, early spring sunshine:

Next up, I passed the grandiose-looking Garsdale: last had a couple of pints here a few years ago, while watching Blackpool win a Wembley play-off to the Premiership:

Then, I got to my destination, the Burrs, where it was nice to see that a small anglers' lodge had sprung up.  Managed to get a nice shot of the duck below surveying the scene:

Finally, I saw my final destination, The Brown Cow.  Had many wonderful AT sessions on Sunday nights/Monday mornings here back in the early/mid-1990s, and remember a character called Wobbler (who now resides up in Bacup) falling into the river after one such session (thankfully, he got out okay).

Now, the Brown Cow has a large caravan park just behind it, so I guess that it does a bumping trade these days.